Charles h



(No Model.) I

O. H. SMITH.-

BRIDLE BIT.

No. 374,852. Petented Dec. 13, 18-87;

W I? n l; 4

' UNITED STATES] PATENT OFFICE;

CHARLES H. SMITH, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO-T'HE o. B. NORTH & COMPANY, on SAME PLACE.

BRlDLE-BIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,852, dated December 13. 1887.

Application filed O1 tobcr 17, 1881' Serial No. 952,532. (No model). I

To all whom it may] concern.-

Be' it known that 1, CHARLES H. SMITH, of

New Haven, in the county of New Haven and Stateof Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Bridle-Bits; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a perspective view of a bit complete embodying, the invention; Fig. 2, a side view of the ring detached and as prepared for introduction to the bar, enlarged; Fig. 3, an edge'view of the same enlarged; Fig. 4, a transverse section through the end of the bar, showing the overlapping portions of the ring with pin inserted preparatory to cutting, enlarged; Fig. 5, a horizontal section through the end of the bar, showing the overlapping portions of the ring and pin after cutting, enlarged; Fig. 6, a modification.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of bridle-bits which consist of a mouth-bar in the ends of which rings orloops are hung, by which to attach the reins. It is necessary that the rings shall be pivoted or hinged to the bar, so that they may swing lat- 'erally. To accomplish this result the rings areusually divided at oneside,and the two ends of the ring introduced into corresponding seats formed in opposite sides of the ballshaped ends of the bar.

Various devices have been employed to secure the ends of the rings in the bit-bar; but in the more general practice it has been done without making positive connection between the two ends of the rings. In some cases such positive connection has been made,but usually at too great cost to be practical, except for the more expensive grade of bits.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple and cheap device for securing the rings to the bit-bar, applicable alike to all grades of bits; and it consists in the construction of the meeting ends of the divided rings and the means for uniting those ends within the holes made in the ends of the bar, as hereinafter fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and as particularly recited in the claims.

A represents the bit-bar, which may be of any usual or desirable form. At its outer ends the bar is constructed with the usual ballshaped enlargements,B,diametrically through each of which a hole is made at right angles to the axis of the bar.

0 represents the ring, of usual shape, and may be provided with the usual guards. The ring is divided at one side, forming two ends, a I). These ends are preferably of tapering shape or diminishing in diameter, so as to set into the hole in the opposite sides of the end of the bar, to' form pivots'upon which the ring may swing, and also serve to prevent movement of the ring in a circumferential direction, and as seen in Fig. 4. Each end of the ring is constructed with a circumferential extension or projection, respectively, at e, these projectionsbeing each of one-half diameter, and the projection on one end being on the side opposite the projection on the other end, and so that each end presents a recess correspond ing to the projection of the other'end, as seen in Fig. 3, and soythat when the two projec tions are brought together, as seen in Fig. 4, the two projections form substantially a cylindrical portion of the ring corresponding in shape to the same portion of the hole in the bar, as seen in Fig. 4. The ends of the ring are separated, as seen in Fig. 2, so that one end may be first set into one end of the hole in the bar and then the other end of the ring set into the other end of the liole, then the ring closed, so as to bring the lapping or halved projections d 6 together within the holein the bar, as seen in Fig. 4. To prevent the separation of the two ends of the ring, a hole is drilled diametrically into oneside of the ball or end of the bar, and at substantially right angles to the axis of the lapped portions of the ring, and through the said lapped portions 01 e, and then a Wire pin, f, of corresponding diameter is driven into the hole and through the lapped portions of the ring, as seen in Fig. 4. The pin so introduced would, if left whole, prevent the ring swinging in the bar; but the pin is cut oil inside the bar by giving to the ring and baraforced swinging movement, as indicated in Fig. 5, the adjacent surfaces of the ring and bar acting as cutters to cut the pin, as seen in Fig. 5, and so that when so cut a portion of the wire remains in the bar to close the hole made for the pin, and the other portion remains in the ring as a pin, to secure the two ends of the ring and prevent possible separation. The pin may be in length corresponding to the diameter of the lapping part of the ring and be introduced through the hole in the bar into the ring, and then driven home, as seen in Fig. 6, the hole in the bar being made at'a point naturally hidden, and so as not to require filling; but in most cases I prefer the pin to be of a length to fill the hole in the bar.

1. In a bridle-bit, the divided rein-rings, the adjacent ends of the rings constructed with projections d 'e'of half-diameter and opposite each other, combined with the bar, said bar constructed with a hole diametrically through each end, the divided ends of the rings set into the respective holes in the bar, said projections d e of the rings overlapping each other within the bar, the said ends of the bar and overlappingportions of the ring having a hole formed therein at substantially right angles to said overlapping portions of the ring, and a pin through said hole in the overlapping portions of the ring, substantially as described.

2. In a bridle-bit, the divided rein-rings,the adjacent ends of the rings constructed with projections d e of half-diameter and opposite each other, combined with the bar, said bar constructed with a hole diametrically through each end, the divided ends of the rings set into the respective holes in the bar, said projections d e of the ring overlapping each other within the bar, the said ends of the bar and overlapping portions of the ring having a hole formed therein at substantially right angles to said overlapping portions of the ring, and a pin introduced and adapted to fill both the hole in the bar and the hole through the overlapping ends of the ring, but separated be- .tWeen said overlapping portions of the ring and the bar, substantially as described.

CHARLES H. SMITH. \Vitnesses:

LUoIUs H. PRINDLE, THOMAS C. WARD. 

